


Making Things Right

by darkrose705



Series: The Fake AH Crew [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: F/M, Fake AH Crew
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-26
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-04-06 05:37:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4209945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkrose705/pseuds/darkrose705
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been half a year since Riley's disappearance. Ryan and Geoff are still desperately searching for her. When a new crew called the OC's roll into town, they may have the answers they were searching for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trash, I know. I keep starting new stories.

**Ryan's Point of View:**

          “It’s been a six months since the strange explosion that happened near Austin, Texas,” The news drones on in the background. “The thing that is peculiar about this event is that it has been speculated to be the result of a Crew war between the infamous Fake AH Crew and The Roosters,” The news reporter pauses as she receives new information. “This just in, another business has claims that the OC’s-”

Gavin flips off the TV, leaving the room in silence. He knows better. They all do. Anything that reminds me of that day needs to be turned off. I can’t stand to think about it.

Riley…

Geoff sits on the opposite side of the room, sulking in the same fashion. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s been hard on him, too. He’s in love with Riley just as much as I am. Neither of us are taking this well. But, I won’t give up. I still need to find her.

My phone buzzes. It’s probably another text from Rebecca. Rebecca is a girl I’ve been seeing. Well… we went on a few dates. She’s mainly around for nights that are less bearable. She seemed like a good idea at the time. Rebecca reminded me of Riley a bit. She was about the same age, had a similar face… But being around her was not the same. I’d rather not think about it. I want to forget I even got involved with her. In fact, I’m just pretend she doesn’t exist.

Melody walks into the basement, switching out with Gavin. She runs her hand across her large belly. I think she’s about seven months pregnant now. Ray never wanted kids, but if he was here, and he saw how much Melody was glowing, I think he would change his mind.

Melody crosses her arms and switches her gaze between me and Geoff. “Is there anything I can get you guys?”

Silence. I haven’t said a word since Riley disappeared. Now that I think about it, neither has Geoff.

“Um, I’d thought I’d let you know… There have been threats of a new crew in the area. Maybe we should look into it?”

Melody waits for an answer. Nothing. I have nothing to say and neither does Geoff.

“Ryan, Geoff,” Melody sighs. “It’s been six months. Don’t you think it’s time to let it go?”

I shift uncomfortably. Just the mention of her name makes me uneasy.

Riley… where the hell did you go?

“Pathetic.” She shakes her head.

For the first time in months, Geoff moves. He snaps his head in Melody’s direction.

“This is how the two toughest men in Texas carry themselves?” She snaps. “You come to the base, sit in the same spot and mope. Everyone is too afraid to mention Riley’s name around you two. This isn’t how things should be. Geoff,” Melody turns towards Geoff. “When’s the last time we pulled a heist?”

Geoff doesn’t answer.

“Riley would be so ashamed of the both of you. If you guys are so hurt over this, why don’t you go find her?”

Geoff speaks for the first time in months. “Don’t you think I’ve tried?” He growls.

“Obviously not enough,” Melody huffs. “You both claim to love her. If it was true, you would figure out a way to her. Think about that.” Melody says before stomping back upstairs, leaving the room in silence.

“Can you believe her?” Geoff scoffs.

“Nope,” I shake my head. “We have done everything we can. It’s impossible to find her.”

“We looked everywhere in Austin,” Geoff continues. “She left without a trace. How the hell are we supposed to track a ghost?”

“Beats me,” I shrug. “But she has a point.”

“How so?” Geoff narrows his eyes.

“About Riley,” I clarify. “Can you imagine the look on her face when she sees what we’ve done with our lives?”

“Damn,” Geoff sighs, pushing back his hair. “Yeah… How could I not?”

I stand up, catching a glimpse in the mirror. I run my fingers through my hair. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a haircut. I can put it in a small ponytail now. I desperately need to trim my beard. My eyes have sunken in.

“Boy, you look like shit.” Geoff teases.

I look over at him. His beard has grown out and his hair is disheveled. “You’re one to talk.” I smirk as I tilt the mirror towards him.

“Shit,” Geoff winces. “That’s what I look like?”

I nod. “Sad, but true. Why don’t we see if the Crew needs anything?”

“Interact with my Crew?” Geoff says with feign shock. “They’ll be surprised as dicks. After you.”

Geoff follows me upstairs. “Good afternoon.” I greet everyone.

The Crew freezes, shocked that I even spoke to them. “Ryan. Geoff. Hello,” Lindsay says with caution. “What brings you up here?”

“Just seeing how business is going,” Geoff hums. “It’s empty today.”

“The shop is closed,” Melody answers. “Our territory is being threatened and I wanted a day off to figure out what we should do about it.”

“What do we know about this new gang?” Geoff asks.

“We don’t know much,” Melody pulls out a map and places it on the table. We all lean in. “They call themselves The OC’s.”

“OC’s?” Tabby repeats.

“It stands for Obscure Crew. The name is quite fitting. I can’t find a damn thing about them,” Melody explains. “They have threatened several local Austin businesses, but haven’t actually done anything.”

“Wait,” Gavin adds. “I think the news was talking about them before I flipped it off.”

“So, they’re starting to get known,” Jack nods. “Do we know their location?”

“Well, I can tell you where they aren’t,” Melody directs our attention to the map. “They are nowhere on this side of town,” She points to the western part of Austin. “This is where most of the threatened businesses are. No group would be dumb enough to threaten nearby locations.”

“But they’re obviously not very skilled at this kind of thing,” I suggest. “They’re a new crew.”

“Well, there is one business in that area that wasn’t threatened….” Melody stalls.

“Out with it! Where?” I say in an impatient tone.

“It’s Rob’s General Store.” Melody avoids eye contact with me and Geoff.

“Rob?” I repeat.

“As in Riley’s father?” Geoff clarifies. “The same store I met Riley in?”

“You mean the store  _I_  met her in,” I growl. “I met her first, remember?”

“Who cares who met her first?” Geoff snaps. “That’s also where I met her.”

“Yeah and you threatened to kill her.” I remind him.

“I wasn’t really going to shoot her,” Geoff narrows his eyes. “I would never hurt her.”

“I’m the one who protected her,” I feel my blood begin to boil. “We were doing fine until you screwed things up.”

“Um, guys?” Lindsay tries to interrupt.

“Oh, really?” Geoff smirks. “If things were really okay, her attention wouldn’t have drifted.”

“What are you saying?” My hands ball into a fist. I feel my nails prick through my skin.

“I’m saying clearly, she wasn’t satisfied. Perhaps you weren’t giving her what she really needed?”

“Shut your god damn mouth, Geoff!” I step forward, ready to attack.

“Oh, should I shut up about that poor girl you’re banging? You know, for someone who claims to be in love with Riley, you sure show it in a weird way.” Geoff snaps.

A few of the Crew members gasp. No one knew about Rebecca. Well, I thought no one did. “How did you even find out about her?”

“I saw you with her. It’s pretty pathetic. You barely even look at her when you take her places. Is she even a person to you? Or just a poor replacement?” Geoff adds.

“It’s none of your business. Geoff!” I snarl. “I suggest you shut up, before it gets worse for you.”

“That’s enough!” Melody shouts, stepping in between us. “I’m starting to wish you would go back to being mopey!”

“Nah, this is great!” Michael sits in a chair, propping his feet up. “The first time we hear Geoff and Ryan talk in months and they start arguing? Let them fight it out.”

“Geoff, Ryan, please stop!” Tabby steps in. “We should focus on the matter at hand! Don’t you understand? This crew could be the missing link to Riley.”

“Riley?” I let down my guard. I hadn’t even thought of that.

“Has anyone even seen that general store since Riley left?” Melody asks. Everyone shakes their head.

“How would they connect, anyway?” Gavin asks.

“Who knows? Maybe they’re after Riley.” Jack shrugs.

“If this crew was after Riley, wouldn’t they attack the store? It would draw her to them.” Michael suggests. “Besides, we don’t even know if they’re after her, or even if Riley is in town. It’s just a guess.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to explore that area, right? This crew might have some kind of connection with Riley. Even if they don’t, we still need to figure out their motive. Who are they? And where did they come from?” Tabby suggests.

“Whatever is going on, they may have something to do with Riley’s disappearance,” I agree. “I just want to find out where she went.”

“I’m with Ryan,” Geoff nods. “So, what are we going to do about this?”

“We need to pay Rob a small visit,” I cross my arms. The Crew looks at me with confusing. “Here’s what we need to do…”

\---------------------------------------------

“This isn’t going to work.” Geoff grumbles.

“Ye who has little faith,” I chuckle as I drive the van towards Rob’s General Store. My unkempt hair whips around in the wind. I really need to get a haircut. “It has to work. Rob’s probably still in the store, taking inventory. We kidnap Rob and then leave a little message for the OC’s. They will hear about this on the news, and then, we wait.”

“But kidnapping? Isn’t this a bit extreme?”

“Nah, it’s fine,” I park the car and step out. “Come on. We need to do this quick.”

“If things go wrong, I blame you.” Geoff sighs as he follows behind me.

“That’s fine.” I respond.

There’s a few seconds of silence before Geoff speaks again. “Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t mean what I said earlier… About the girl. I guess you do what you have to do for lonely nights.” Geoff mumbles.

“So, who is she?” I ask. Geoff must also be seeing someone.

“I’d rather not talk about it.” Geoff shakes his head. Fair enough. We have a mission to do, anyway.

Guns drawn, we sneak into the back door. I motion Geoff to pick the lock. Once the door opens, we creep in. Everything is dark.

“He must be up front,” I whisper. We tiptoe to the door that leads to the store front. “Ready?” I ask.

Geoff nods. I shove open the door and we draw our weapons. “On the ground!” Geoff shouts… to no one?

The store is empty. There are trashed shelves and debris liter the ground. This place looks abandoned. “What the fuck?” I drop my weapon. “Hello?” I call out.

“Yeah, that’s the smart thing to do. Call out. Maybe someone will answer,” Geoff says with sarcasm. “Have you ever  _seen_ a horror movie? Do you want us to get killed?”

“I-I’m sorry,” I stammer. “I’m just… confused. This doesn’t add up.”

“Of course it adds up!” Geoff shouts. “Look around! There’s nothing here! Of  _course_ no one threatened this place! It’s fucking closed! All this was for nothing.” Geoff kicks over a box.

“I really thought…” I drop to my knees. I was so sure this would work… I was positive that this would lead me to Riley.

Now, we’re back to the beginning.

“Let’s go home…” Geoff frowns.

“I thought…” I start to argue.

“I know,” Geoff cuts me off. “I thought she would be here, too,” Geoff smiles weakly. “I guess that means we’re in too deep, buddy.” Geoff holds out his hand to me.

I take his hand and he helps me stand. “I don’t understand,” I look around the room. “This was our chance, Geoff.” We start walking to the door. There’s a shadow figure blocking the doorway.

“Don’t. Fucking. Move.” They threaten.

Geoff and I point our guns to the figure. “Who the hell are you?!” Geoff growls.

“I should be asking that. You shouldn’t be here.” The person steps forward. It’s a male voice.

“I demand that you step aside before this gets ugly.” Geoff barks.

“Pal, you’re in no position to threaten me.” The man laughs as he nods behind us.

We turn around slowly. We were surround. “What the fuck?” Geoff grumbles.

“Drop your weapons.”

Geoff and I exchange glances. We really don’t have a choice. We obey, dropping our weapons in front of us. A woman with curly ginger hair collects our guns. Her hair reminds me so much of Riley…

She holds out her hands. “The rope, too.”

Without arguing, I give her everything.

“Start walking.” A gun is poked into my back.

“Okay, okay. Jeez!” Geoff groans as we follow our captors into what was the inventory room.

“Get on the ground and put your hands behind your back.” One woman instructs.

Once again, we obey as they tie our hands. Well, for Geoff, they wrap the rope around him, keeping his arm secure.

“I can’t believe that worked!” Another woman cheers.

“Shut up!” Another man scolds. “Don’t let them know that!”

“Look, my friend and I would just like to leave.” I try to reason.

“You know our location. You’re not going anywhere.” The first man that caught us states. The rest of the people leave the room. I count a total of nine people. Why are they all here? Could they be the OC’s?

“So, would you two like to explain why you’re here?” The man sits in front of us, crossing his legs.

I manage to get a better look at his features. He has black hair, green eyes, a thin face, and a piercing on his right eyebrow. I’ll remember this face. If we can escape, I’ll make sure we can track this guy down.

“I asked you a question.”

I lean over to Geoff. “Is it too late to pretend we don’t speak English?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Hey,” The man snaps his fingers. “Pay attention. I asked you a question,” Geoff and I refuse to speak. “Not talking, eh?” He crosses his arms. “I guess I’ll have to get rough with you guys.”

“No thanks, man. I’m not gay. I’m flattered, though. Thanks for the offer.” Geoff replies without skipping a beat.

His remark catches me off guard. I start laughing before I can stop myself.

The man frowns. “Wait, I didn’t mean-”

“Hey, maybe that’s why he trapped us here,” Geoff continues. “Maybe he likes us,” He turns back to the man. “Well, all you had to do was talk to us.”

I bite back a smile. Damn it, Geoff.

“Look, it’s not like that! That was just a really bad way to phrase that. I’m saying I don’t want to hurt you! I just want answers.”

“You have to look deep into your heart for answers, man.”

“Argh! Stop it! Why are you here?” The man is starting to get frustrated.

“Hey,” I crack a smile. “Ever wonder why we’re here?”

“That’s one of life’s great mysteries, isn’t it?”

“Stop!” The man shouts. “Okay, I’m bringing in a “bad cop”!” The man stands up and storms out of the room. He slams the door too hard, allowing the door to be cracked open.

“What happened?” We hear whispers from outside.

“Those two are idiots. We need someone to go in there.”

“Brendon, you jumped out, revealing your location, so therefore, you are responsible for them.”

“I know, but I can’t get through to them. I get out of questions by rambling.” The man, who I assume is Brendon, argues.

“Okay, so who’s the toughest out of the group?” A female voice asks.

“The boss definitely is. Maybe we should tell her-”

“No,” Brendon interrupts. “She will never forgive me.”

“Brendon, this isn’t about your silly little crush. This is serious.”

“Everyone be quiet. We don’t want to wake her,” Brendon hushes the group. “Look, we can handle this. She doesn’t need to know.”

“Well, she’s going to find out eventually.” Someone else reasons.

“Find out, what?” An icy, female voice asks.

Outside, it goes silent. “Boss…”

“What’s going on?” The Boss snaps. That voice… No, it couldn’t be.

“We… uh… caught some people sneaking into the base.” Brendon explains.

“And you weren’t going to tell me?” The door gets pushes open.

Oh my god…

Riley steps through the doorway. “I swear, you guys need to…” Her voice trails off when she sees me and Geoff.

“Good god…” Geoff breathes.

It feels like time is frozen. My heart is beating rapidly in my chest. I’ve been searching for so long and here she is.

Riley’s eyes switch between me and Geoff. “Get them out of here.” She turns her back and starts to walk away.

“Riley!” I shout and I fling myself forward. “Riley, wait!”

“I want them gone. Why are they even here?” Riley snaps at the group.

“Riley,” Geoff’s voice is calm. She stops. Instant jealousy washes over me. Why did she stop for him? “Can we talk? Please?”

“Why?” Riley keeps her back turned. “Why are you here? We were going to leave tomorrow. How did you manage to find me?”

Why is she willing to talk to him?

“Can you untie us, please?” Geoff asks.

“Untie them.” Riley commands.

Brendon’s eyes grow wide. “Riley-”

“Do as I say,” She snaps. “Untie them.”

Brendon approaches us with a knife. He cuts the rope, freeing our hands.

“Thanks, lover.” Geoff teases. Brendon rolls his eyes.

I pick myself up and rub my wrists. We weren’t tied up too long, but the rope was starting to cut into my skin. “Riley…”

“Follow me to the office.” Riley ignores me.

I lower my head as we walk on. Why is she being so cold towards me?

We walk in silence to the office. Riley closes the door, resting her head on the door. I don’t understand why she won’t face us. “You just ruined everything.”

“Good to see you, too.” Geoff huffs.

“I managed to get you out of my head… and now, here you are…” She mumbles.

I’m not sure who she’s directing that to. Me? Geoff? Maybe both of us.

“Where the hell did you go? Why did you run away?” I can’t help but ask. “Have you always been hiding here?”

“No,” Riley shook her head. “We just got here two days ago. I’ve been away this whole time. This was only a temporary arrangement.”

“Riley,” My hands tighten into fists. I don’t care if Geoff hears this. “I… I’ve really missed you. This isn’t exactly how I wanted our reunion to go.”

“I never wanted a reunion,” Riley answers, coldly. “I never wanted to see you guys again.”

“You owe us an explanation.” Geoff states.

“I don’t owe you a damn thing.” She scoffs, her back still turned to us.

“For months, we searched,” Geoff steps closer to her. “We looked everywhere in town for you. We were so worried sick. By saying you don’t owe me an explanation is telling me that you didn’t care about me.”

“Us.” I correct Geoff.

“It was hard getting over you. We couldn’t believe you were gone.” Geoff continues, ignoring me.

“It appears one of you had no problem getting over me.” Riley snaps.

Oh, wait, was that directed at me?

“Are you… mad at me?” I ask.

“Why don’t we catch up tomorrow?” She opens the door. “I don’t want to deal with this bullshit right now. It caught me off guard.”

“I thought you were leaving tomorrow?” I interrupt.

“I… kinda can’t leave until I figure things out. We’re stuck at the moment. Just… come back tomorrow. I can’t deal with this right now.” Riley ushers us out the door.

I finally get a look at Riley’s face. Her cheeks glisten in the light. She was crying. But she refused to let it show.

Geoff and I walk out, her whole crew had their eyes on us as we exit.

“Uh,” Geoff pushes back his hair. “I’ll walk back to the base. I have a lot to think about.” Geoff stares at the ground.

“It’s late.” I remind him as I climb into the driver’s seat of my van.

“Yeah, but I’m Geoff. So, no one is going to fuck with me. I think I’ll swing by a liquor store and pick something up. I could use a drink.”

A drink sounds perfect right now. Or perhaps, another distraction. “Just be careful.” I warn before starting the engine and driving away.

I fish my phone out of my pocket. This is the only thing I can think of right now. I dial the number and wait for her to answer.

“Ryan,” Rebecca sighs. “I’ve been trying to text you all day. I got worried.”

“Come over tonight.” I ignore her. I don’t care that she was worried.

“Oh. Okay. Are you home now?”

“I will be soon.” I answer as I drive out of the parking lot.

“Oh… what if I beat you there?” Rebecca laughs nervously.

“Just wait outside the door. It’s not a big deal.” I shrug. “I’ll be there soon.”

“Alright. Um, did you eat yet? I made food.” Rebecca offers.

“Not hungry.” I respond in a flat tone.

“… Did you have a bad day at work? Maybe we should talk about it when we see each other.” Rebecca sounds worried.

A take a deep breath. No, I don’t want to talk. “I’m sorry,” I fake a pleasant tone. “I’ll I need is you tonight, baby.”

“Oh,” I can hear Rebecca getting flustered over the line. “Okay, I’ll be over in ten minutes!”

I hang up without saying goodbye. I’m not in this for the relationship. I’m not with her for the feelings, or the cuddling, or any of that shit. That was all reserved for Riley.

But, she seems to not really care.

How could she treat me that way? All this time, I’ve done nothing but worry about her. Why did that not matter to her? And why did she leave in the first place? None of this makes sense…

Even after all that… I’m still ecstatic to see that she’s alive. Sure, that’s not how I wanted things to go, but she’s here now. So, that’s good.

I just don’t know what I’m going to do now. I guess all I can do is wait…


	2. The Agreement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try my hand at different points of views for this story. I'm not sure how this will turn out, but I feel it will be necessary to see the whole story. I guess you will see what I mean later.

   **Ryan's Point of View:**

         The early morning light peeks in through the curtains. Groaning, I duck my head under the covers. Slowly, a throbbing pain in my head increases. Maybe I had a bit too much to drink last night.

A small body rolls over closer to me. I feel arms wrap around me as her warm body presses against my back. “Good morning, Mr. Grumpy.” Rebecca attempts to pry the blankets from me.

“Grah…” I mumble, wrapping the blankets tighter around me, trying to scoot away. No cuddling. I’m not in the mood.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink that much,” She giggles. “Stressful day at work?”

“I used to not drink.” I admit. I don’t know why I’m telling her this now. The drinking only started after Riley left.

Everything revolves around Riley. Doesn’t she know that? How could she treat me the way that she did?

“I didn’t know that,” Rebecca says in awe. “What were you like before you knew me?”

“Doesn’t matter.” I shrug.

“It’s really hard getting to know you, Rye,” Rebecca sighs. “You’re so closed off. I want to learn everything about you.”

“Why?” I respond in a gruff tone.

“I told you many times before. I love you, Ryan.” She says so carelessly.

“You don’t even know what those words mean.” I snap.

“Yes I do,” She insists. “You can’t tell me how I feel.”

“You’re twenty one years old. You don’t know the meaning of love. Right now, those are just pretty little words you want to use. You don’t know the amount of commitment behind those three words.”

“Love is trying your hardest to get to know someone and understanding their past. You won’t even let me get that far.” Rebecca replies in a quiet tone.

“That’s not the definition of love. It’s the definition of foolishness.” I drag myself out of bed and out of Rebecca’s embrace.

Rebecca is silent as she watches me stumble around the room, looking for clothes to wear. I’m going to see Riley again. Everything needs to be perfect. This stupid hangover needs to go away, I need to look good, and I need something to give her. Flowers, maybe. I think Riley liked flowers.

“Want to go out and get some breakfast? Maybe we can spend the day together.” Rebecca suggests. She stands on her knees and walks to the foot of the bed. The blanket is wrapped around her.

“I’m busy.” I reply bluntly.

“Well, can you not be busy? I was thinking you could finally meet my friends.”

I freeze and glance in her direction. “What?”

“We’ve been seeing each other for about four months now,” Rebecca laughs nervously. “My friends were asking about you. And later tonight, my parents wanted to-”

“Oh no,” I hold my hand up to stop her. “No friends. No parents. We aren’t together, Rebecca.”

“I know you said that before, but we go on lots of dates, we spend a lot of nights together-”

I interrupt her again. “Listen to me. We are not dating. It’s just not going to happen.”

Rebecca’s shoulders drop in disappointment as I continue getting dressed. “Why not?” Her voice is just about a whisper.

It’s when she gets that sad look on her face… That’s what reminds me of Riley. The teary eyes, the hushed tone, the small whimper. It’s like all the times I’ve ever disappointed Riley.

I walk to the bed. One hand rests on her back while the other rests on the side of her face. I plant a small kiss on her forehead.

“I don’t understand,” She whimpers. “One minute, you’re cold and mean. And the next, you’re sweet and gentle. It’s like there are two sides of you, Ryan. And I don’t know which one is the real you.”

“They’re both me,” I reply. “You don’t want to be with someone like me. I’m not an easy guy to be with.”

“I’m still willing to try,” Rebecca places her hand over my chest. “If you would just let me.”

“I need to go somewhere today,” I avoid her statement. “Start getting dressed. Do you need me to drop you off home?”

Rebecca frowns. “No, I drove here.” She sighs, allowing the subject to be dropped. She steps off the bed and starts getting dressed.

I have a soft spot for Rebecca when she’s upset. It’s not normal, but I can’t help myself.

Rebecca finishes getting ready. “So, when am I going to see you next?” She asks as I escort her to the door.

“I’ll call.” I answer.

“Yeah,” Rebecca sounds disappointed. “You’ll call. Just like you always do.”

I close the door once Rebecca leaves. I probably won’t have to call her again. Riley is back. I need to focus on winning her back. I can’t let her get away from me again. Starting now, I’m going to win her back. Sorry, Geoff. You can’t have her this time. I’m going to give it all I have.

\--------------------

“She’s in her office. That other guy hasn’t shown up yet.” The man from last night, Brendon, I believe, bitterly leads me to the office. He eyes the bouquet of white tulips I brought. “Flowers? Really?” He scoffs.

“Yeah. So what?” I shrug. The hangover is almost gone, or at least, it's manageable. Nothing can bring me down right now.

“Riley doesn’t like flowers, stupid. What were you thinking?” He taunts as we reach Riley’s office.

The door springs open, Riley standing on the other side. Before she can say anything, her attention is drawn to the bouquet. “Flowers?” She attempts to hide her smile, to no avail.

I shoot a quick smirk in Brendon’s direction before following her into the office. I close the door behind me. We’re finally alone. I’ve waited for this moment for months.

Now with better lighting, I can get a better look at her. Her strawberry blonde hair is now a messy pixie cut. Why didn’t I notice this yesterday? Perhaps I was too overwhelmed with joy. Or maybe I assumed her hair was up. I don’t know. Her emerald green eyes, regardless of how mad she looks, shine in the light. It appears she even lost weight. I don’t recall her being so fragile looking.

“You think this is going to fix anything?” She wags the flowers in my face.

I’m not even mad. “No,” I smile. “I’m hoping this will.” I cup my hands around her face, pressing my body to hers. She still seems to fit perfectly, like I was meant to hold her. She doesn’t seem to be stopping me. I lean in, our lips barely touching.

The door opens, causing Riley to jump away from me. I glare at the person in the doorway. Geoff walks in, bouquet of pink roses in hand. “I see we had the same idea.” Geoff nods towards the flowers on the desk.

Pink roses? Damn, he fucking one up-ed me.

“So, how’d you pull open the front door with your hands full?” I cross my arms.

Geoff sends a hard stare my way before answering. “They saw me struggling, so Riley’s crew let me in.” Geoff hands his bouquet to Riley.

I can’t help but laugh. No, you shouldn’t laugh at a handicapped person. But, come on, it’s Geoff.

“Alright, idiots, get in here and sit down.” Riley sits on top of her desk, setting both bouquets aside.

Geoff and I pull up a chair. I can’t help but feel nervous. This is it. We’re going to find out where she’s been the past six months.

“Let’s start by getting this out of the way. How did you find me?” Riley asks.

“This was the only place not getting threats from the OC’s. We figured they wanted something to do with you.” Geoff answers.

Riley tilts her head. “Threats? OC’s?”

“All the local businesses were getting threatened to be robbed. Was that not you?”

“No, it probably was,” Riley’s jaw tightens. “I told them I didn’t want to stay here. I told them to keep quiet, but it appears my team didn’t listen. And that ridiculous name? I wonder which one of them came up with that…” Riley begins to ramble.

“So it was your team?” I ask to clarify.

“Oh, it was them, alright,” Riley nods. “They do this everywhere we go. “We’re not going to find him.” They said. “We should just stay here.” They said,” Riley grumbles. “They wanted to settle and claim a territory. I told them that’s not what this team was about. I don’t want to be stuck in a gang terrorizing a city. Especially not here…” Riley sighs.

“It seems you have problems controlling your team. Not as easy as it looks, eh?” Geoff teases.

“They just lost focus of the mission,” Riley narrows her eyes. “That’s all. We will get back on track once we find… him.”

“Him?” I repeat. Great. Is there another guy? It’s bad enough I have Geoff to compete with.

“I’m here only because… he lead us here… and now we don’t know where to go.”

“Who lead you here?” I lean forward.

“Isaac.” Riley pinches the bridge of her nose.

“Isaac? You mean Hunter?” Geoff scrunches his eyebrows together. “Riley, he died.”

“He’s not dead,” Riley snaps. “I’ve been chasing his stupid ass down this whole time! He’s been leaving my clues and it lead me back home. He’s up to something. I just don’t know what yet.”

“So, why leave?” Geoff grumbles. “Why couldn’t you tell us? We could have helped!”

“No offense, but the Fake AH Crew couldn’t help me. Nor would I want them to. It would be too dangerous. It was easier to create a new team.”

“What do you mean?” I huff, slightly offended.

“Let’s see, two deaths, two explosions, a broken team, arguments over command, a missing arm and eye,” Riley points to Geoff as he slow sinks into his chair. “Let’s face it, you guys are not a team. Half the time, someone was arguing because they didn’t like the way you ran the Crew. How could I expect help?”

“We’re your friends,” I argue. “We would have helped you, anyway.”  
“The Crew is also careless,” Riley says softly. “I couldn’t risk anyone else getting hurt. So… I left.”

“And now, you’re back,” Geoff adds. “Why don’t you introduce me to your crew, everyone can come back to our base and meet, and we can be one big happy group that hunts down Hunter and ends the terror of The Roosters once and for all.”

“It’s not that simple.” Riley shakes her head.

“I think it is,” I interrupt. “Look, you can’t find him, right? Who on your team has tracking skills?”

“I do all the tracking.” Riley holds her head up proudly.

“Uh huh. And now, you’re stuck,” I remind her as her smile slowly fades. “Kdin and the tech team could probably help. If Hunter has been back in town, there has to be something that will lead us to him, or where he went.”

“I don’t need your help.” Riley snaps.

“Actually, you do,” Geoff smirks. “I know you tried to make a new team, and it’s cute and all. But let’s face it. It seems you are the only skilled member of this team. They can’t offer you anything. Let us help you.”

Riley bites her lip, contemplating her options. “After you locate him, I’m leaving again.”

“No-” I try to argue.

“Done.” Geoff interrupts.

“Geoff!” I shout in protest.

“Fine. Let me go let the group know I’m stepping out. I don’t want them to meet the Crew yet, but maybe one day. I think they will benefit from meeting. Maybe they will learn a thing or two.” Riley hops off the desk and leaves the office.

“What the hell are you thinking?” I roar. “We cannot lose her again!”

“And we won’t.” Geoff replies calmly.

“What’s the plan?”

“I hate to make this a competition for her love, but I can’t think of any other way of making her stay,” Geoff admits. “One of us has to win her over.”

“…This sounds like a cheesy fanfic.”

“Somewhere in the galaxy, it probably is, but one of us has to keep her here. I don’t think either one of us could bear to lose her again.” Geoff adds.

“You’re right.” I nod. “We don’t have a choice…. I mean, we do. We could let her do what she wants and let her leave, because she is an adult and she has her own choices to make...” My voice starts to trail off.

“God, do you have to make me feel bad?” Geoff groans. “Okay, how about this? It doesn’t hurt to try. If we fail, then clearly, we can’t do anything. But if one of us manages to get her to stay, it will be cool.”

“I don’t know about this.” I hum. I already planned on winning Riley over, but by making this some kind of competition doesn’t feel right.

“We fight fair,” Geoff sticks out his hand. “No betrayals, no double crossing.”

“Deal.” I shake his hand. Geoff playing fair? This will get interesting.

\----------------------------

We arrive at Ray of Light Photography. “I’ll walk in to let the Crew know that we have a surprise for them,” Geoff places his hand on Riley’s shoulder. “Come in after a few seconds.” Geoff walks in, leaving me and Riley alone. This is my chance.

“They’re going to hate me.” Riley whispers, before I can say anything.

My eyes widen. “Why would they hate you? Riley, they’re going to be really happy to see you.”

Riley closes her eyes and shakes her head. “I abandoned everyone. They’re never going to understand why.”

I hesitate before reaching out to grab her hand. Our fingers interlock. Riley looks up at me.

“I’ll still be by your side. Does that help?”

A small smile appears on her face as she nods. It’s fair to say that I have a slight advantage over Geoff.

Hand in hand, Riley pushes open the front door. The store front is empty. Everyone must be downstairs.

As we walk into the basement, I can hear the Crew talking. “What’s going on, Geoff?” Michael asks, slightly sounding worried.

“Is everything alright? How did the mission go yesterday? Where’s Ryan?” Gavin rambles.

We reach the bottom of the stairs and all eyes are on us. The Crew remains silent.

“Uh, so guys, we found Riley.” Geoff shuffles nervously.

Riley steps forward, releasing my hand. “Uh, hi.” She waves.

“Holy crap! You found her?!” Melody dashes across the room and tackles Riley into a hug.

“And you’re pregnant.” Riley states, noticing Melody’s stomach.

“Nah, I just swallowed a whole planet,” Melody teases. “Of course I’m pregnant. I guess Ray decided to stick me with a little present before leaving.”

Riley reaches down to touch Melody’s stomach. She looks in awe.

“We need to help her track down Hunter.” I announce.

“So, you disappear and then show up like nothing happened. Cool.” Michael growls.

Lindsay jabs her elbow into his ribs. “Riley, it’s so good to see you.”

Melody continues to cling to Riley.

“Melody, maybe someone else would like to give her a hug?” Tabby frowns as she places her hands on her hips.

“They will have to pry her from my cold, dead hands first!” Melody declares.

“I’m not above fighting a pregnant woman!” Tabby threatens in a playful manner.

See, Riley? No one hates you. They all missed you.

I stand back and watch how everyone interacts with Riley. They treat her like they normally would. Riley is still a bit nervous. Maybe, once she sees how much we missed her, she’ll stay.

This is going to take time. A little bit of patience, a little bit of communication, but mostly time.


End file.
